Last weekend, after a long, tiring day of fasting for the holiday Yom Kippur, I decided to travel to an all-time childhood favorite restaurant of mine: The Sycamore in Bethel, CT (www.sycamoredrivein.com). The Sycamore was established in 1948 with the goal of satisfying the stomachs of people all over the world with their delightful burgers.

The Hustle & Bustle of a busy restaurant.

As we walked into the Sycamore, it was as if I had walked into the late 1940’s. The restaurant was a blast to the past. As we sat down in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the crowded interior of the otherwise drive-up oriented restaurant, the soothing smell overtook me. The aroma of juicy meat popping with hot grease and crusted in a dusting of large sea salt and freshly ground pepper. The wafting vapor of home-made frothy, chilled root-beer straight from the barrel. I felt as if I had returned home.

As we were greeted by our friendly waitress, we began ordering. I ordered a Dagwood Burger,a Large Basket of Fries, and a Root Beer.

Yum!

The best burger I’ve had in a while.

The Dagwood Burger contains two moist, tender in the center, crispy and crunchy on the edges, burger patties, a slice of gooey, melted American cheese that erupts out of the sides of the burger, an assortment of fresh, bright, vivid vegetables, and juice-filled snappy onions that twisted out of each and every nook and cranny of the dish. All of these delectable treats were placed between two soft, plump, buttery toasted buns.

In addition, we received golden, crusty, slightly floppy fries. The fries were utterly disappointing and unfortunately the root-beer was even worse.

Say goodbye to this pile of fries.

As I dreamed about the Sycamore, the one thing that came to my mind was the root-beer. I remembered that the root-beer was frigidly cold, perfectly carbonated, and covered in sheet of chilled ice to keep the beverage cold. This root-beer was flat, lacking taste, luke-warm and not chilled. I was very upset.

A disappointing mug of soda.

After our delicious meal, my family and I traveled to Dr. Mikes Ice Cream Shop for some dessert(158 Greenwood Avenue, Bethel, CT )

The pumpkin was calling my name.

The ice-cream I chose was pumpkin. The ice cream was cold, smooth, velvety and contained the exact pumpkin pie flavor I had yearned for all year. The ice-cream was covered in a hot-fudge sauce and served in a white styrofoam bowl.

I scream, you scream….

Overall the trip to bethel, Connecticut was very satisfying, and I would love to make the trip again.
I would give it: ZZZZ- 4 Z’s